Fender attachment for automobiles.



- C. SADLO.

FENDER ATTACHMENT FUR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. I915.

1 ,256,497 Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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C. SADLO.

FENDER ATTACHMENT FOR AUPOMUBILES.

AP LICATION FILED APR. 9. I915.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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[III -I ll I I II III l III C. SADLU.

FENDER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION flLiD AFRB. I915. 1,256,497. Patented Feb. 12,1918.

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FENDER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

1,256,497 APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. i915- Patented 12' B SHEETSSHEET 4.

Sumo/Mo's C/zww/es [3210350 C. SADLO.

FENDER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.9.19I5.

O Q\ u Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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NW 4/ 1 S FIJL C. SADLO.

FENDER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATTON nuzo mm). I915.

1 ,256,497. Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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C. SADLO.

FENDER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBLES.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 9. l9l5- Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

C. SADLO.

FENDER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED APILS. I9I5. 1,256,497.

CHARLES SADLO, 0F ASTORIA, NEW YORK.

FENDER ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Application filed April 9. 1915. Serial No. 20,319.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l. (nAnLBs Snow, a citizen of the llnited States.residing: at Astoria. L. 1.. in the count of Queens and State of NewYork. have invented eel'tain new and useful Improvements in FenderAttachments for Automobiles: and I do hereby declare the following to bea full. clear. and exact description of the invention. such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it ap wrtainto make and usethe same.

This invention relates to a lender attachment for automobiles. and theprimary object of the invention is to provide an accident preventin;lender. which is normally held in an inoperative and nnobstructiveposition partially in front of and partially beneath the automobile.which fender is automatieallv operated when the automobile strikes aperson. for receiving the person on the fender and topping: the travelof the automobile \'tl('lll't tltill. l therewith.

Another object of this invention is to pro. vide a novel form ofmechanism as specified which utilizes in combination. electricity andcompressed air for o n-rating the improved fender for catching a personand preventing iniurv thereof.

Another object of this ilHtllllull is to provide a plurality of airoperated pistons. for successively operating the dog mechanism on thevarious clutch. brake and speed levers. and operatinL the leversthemselves immediatel thereafter for moviin them into various positions.for stopping the travel. of the car innin-diatelv when the same strikesan object or person.

still further object of this invention is to provide a pnelumltieallvoperable lender for automobiles which embodies .i easing having: rolledtherein a llexible support. and positioned forwardly of the same. aguard for releasing said support for outward movement when theautomobile :-l;l'll(t:- an obstruetion or person. and which closes anelectrical circuit for opening: an air valve for" automatically forcingontwardlv and forwardly of theautomobile. said flexible support forreceiving the person v truck. and further to provide pneumatic means forsupporting the casin, and moving it ontwardlv a limited distance priorto the outward movement of the llexible support.

'ith the foregoing; and other objects in view this invention consists inr-llt'll novel features of construction, combination and arrangement ofparts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters designate like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation partially in section of anautomobile, showing the forward part of the improved fender attachedthereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of an automobile. showing themechanism for operating the gear shifting lever.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the improved fender,

Fig. 4 is a plan view partially in section of the mechanism foroperating the clutch and brake pedals,

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through air cylinders employedfor operating the gear shifting lever.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through one of the flexible fender supports.showing the same in an extended osition,

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view partially in side elevation and partiallyin section of the connections between the electric motor and the airvalve,

'10 is a lmigitudinal sectional view through the flexible fenderretaining casing.

Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view on the line 1111 of Fig. 10,

Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view on the line 12-42 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary sec- ,tional view of part of thefender.

Fig. 14 is a cross sectional view on the line 14-14 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 15 is a plan view partially in section of the pneumatic means formoving the flexible fender for holding or retaining; casing outwardlvinto an operative position. or inwardly out of an operative position.diagrammatically.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary side elevation of an automobile.- showing themechanism for operating the clutch lever. and

Fig. 17 is a detail view of a pipe connection employed in the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawin l'designates an automobile ofany or inary type of construction now com monly in use upon the marketwhich has a chassis 2 and a gear operating lever 3 carried thereby.

The side rails 4 of the chassis 2 have secured to their forward endsforwardly of the hood 5 of the automobile a substantially cylindricalcasing 10, which has arcuate sleeves 11 and 12 detachably connected toits outer ends. The casing 10 has rotatably mounted therein a shaft 13to which is connected, for rolling upon the shaft, a flexible fabriccurtain or support 14. The shaft 13 is rotatably carried by the ends 15and 16 of the casing, which are detachably mounted therein, and it has aspiral spring 17 mounted internally thereof, which spring actsidentically with the action of the spring in an ordinary spring curtainor shade roller.

The casing 10 has rods 10 and 10" secured to the rear side thereof,which rods extend into cylinders 10? and 10", and have piston heads 10and 10' mounted upon their ends which are positioned within therespective cylinders. The cylinders 10 and 10? have a plurality of ballbearings 10 positioned therein, and engaging the outer surface ofthepiston rods 10 and 10 to support the rods. The ballbearings 10 areheldin place by transversely extending partitions 10 wh ch are formedwithinthe cylinders 10 and 10 intermediate of their ends. The pistonrods pass freely through the openings formed in the partitions 10 andthe caps 10' which are removably mounted upon the outer ends of thecylinders. The pistons 10* and 10' have gaskets 10 mounted thereon forroviding a substantially airtight connection between the peripheries ofthe pistons and the interior of the cylinders. The pistons 10 and 10'have spiral springs 10 and 10' secured thereto, which springs extendrearwardly from the pistons 1n the cylinders 10 and 10 and engage theinner surface of the removable caps 10'" and 10 which are mounted uponthe rear ends of the cylinders 10 and 10.

The cylinders 10 and '10 have communication with a compressed airstorage tank 56 through pipe connections 10". The assage of air throughthe pipe connections 10" is controlled by the operation of the valve 55,which will be hereinaftermore fully described.

The cylinders 10' and 10 are bled of air by a bleedvalve 10 which" ispositioned in the air feed pipe of the cylinders. The valve 10 isarranged so that when it is closed, it will allow air to passtherethrough into the cylinders. but when opened to bleed the cylinders,will cut ofl' the passage of air from the feed pipeinto the cylindersand allow the air to pass or bleed out of the cylinders. The bleed valve10' is manually operated.

The shaft 13 projects out of the arcuate sleeve 12 through an opening 18formed therein and has its outer end substantially rectangular in crosssection, as is shown at 19, to permit of the winding of the curtain orfabric support 14 upon the shaft 13 and also to permit of the windingand tensioning of the spring 17.

The shaft 13 has ratchet wheels 20 and 21 mounted thereon upon 0 positesides of the curtain 14, the teeth o which are engaged by pawls 22. Thepawls 22 are pivotally carried in any suitable manner by the cylindricalcasing 10, and the have projections 23 formed thereon, which arepositioned in the inner ends of the rods 24. The rods 24 projectforwardly through the casin 10 and have their outer ends connecte to aguard 25. The guard 25 extends-along the entire length of the casing 10and has its ends slightly curved and projecting partially over thelength of the arcuate sleeves 11 and 12, as is clearly shown in Figs. 3and 10 of the drawings. The

ard 25 is normally spaced from the easmg 10 by spiral springs 26 whichare mounted in sleeves 27, which are carried by the forward side orportion of the casing 10. The spiral springs 26 are coiled about sleeves28, which are carried by the inner transversely extending partitions 29,which form closures for the inner ends of the tubes 27. One end of eachof the springs 26 abuts against the partitions 29, while the other endsabut against partitions 30 which are positioned a short distanceinwardly of the outer end of the sleeves 27. The rods 24 are rigidlyconnected to the lungers 30 and slidable in the sleeves 28.

he inner ends of the rods 24 have rollers 31 mounted thereon forengagement with the lugs 23 for moving the pawls 22 out of engagementwith the peripheral ratchet teeth formed upon the ratchet 20, so as topermit of the unwinding of the curtain 14 from about the shaft 13.

The sleeves 27 have contacts 32 and 33 carried by their outer ends,which are insulated from the body portion of the sleeve by suitableinsulating plates 34. The contacts 32 and 33 have communication throughelectrical conductors 35 with a motor 36, which is carried by theautomobile construction, and the purpose of which will be hereinaftermore fully described.

The end of the curtain 14, passes throu h a slit or opening 37, which isformed in t e sleeve 10. The sleeve 10 has rearwardly extending cars 38formed thereon to which are connected rods 39 and 40.- The rods 39 and40 are positioned upon opposite sides of the slot or opening 37 and theyhave rollers connected at 81 to the hand lever 82, which is employed foroperating the dog mechanism 83 which coacts with the quadrant 84 forholding the ear shift lever 3 in various positions, suc as a forwardposition, a neutral position and a reverse position, as is indicated bythe notches 85 shown in the quadrant 84. p

The lever 3 has an eye 86 secured to its rear edge, to which eye isconnected a rod 87. The rod 87 extends rearwardly therefrom, and isslidably seated in a cyllnder 88 and connected to a piston 89. Thepiston 89 is slidably mounted within a cylinder 88 and has a pluralityof ball bearings 90 spaced about its circumference, for decreasing thefriction of the travel of the piston within the cylinder and to allowthe passage of air about the piston during its movements. The cylinder88 has a collar 91 formed upon its rear end, which is detachablyconnected to a longitudinally extending lug 92, which is' formed uponthe detachable head 93 of a cylinder 94. The cylinder 94 is positionedin alinement with the cylinder 88, and has its rear end communicatingwith the pipe 71 to permit of the passage of airinto the cylinder 94rearwardly of thepiston 95 which is slidably mounted therein. The iston95 has a rod 97 connected thereto w ich extends forwardly through thebore formed in the removable piston head 93. The piston rod 97 has itsforward end 98 seated within the cylinder 89, and normally held spacedfrom t e piston 89, as is clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Thespace between the end of the' piston rod 97 and the piston 89 isprovided for permitting of the independent movement of the lever 3without in any way interfering with the operation of the piston 95 orthe mechanism heretofore described, and furthermore to permit of theforward movement of the iston76 for o crating the hand lever 82 oroperating t e dog mechanism 83 prior to the actuation of the lever 3 bythe rod 87, this time bein absorbed by the passage of the piston rod 9%throu h the space between its outer end and the piston 89. A spiralspring 99 is mounted within the cylinder 95, and is connected to thispiston for automatically retracting the piston within the cylinder 94,or moving it into its inward osition immediately after the cessation oft e passage of air into the cylinder from the pipe 71 and the compressedair cylinder 56. A suitable bleed valve 71' is rovided for draining theair from the cylin er 94.

The valve stem 58 has a rectangular section 100 formed thereon which isprovided for manually rotating the valve stem for closing the valve andcutting off passage of air throu h the various pipes 53, 54, 69 and 71after t e device has been operated.

The emergency lever 101, which is ordinary in the construction ofautomobiles now upon the market, has pulleys 102 and 103 carriedthereby, over which pulleys travels a trip cord 104. The cord 104extends throu h a guideway 105 which is secured to the si e of the lever101 and has its upper end connected to the hand grip or actuating lever106 of the dog mechanism 107 which is carried by the lever 101 forcoaction with the quadrant 108, for holdin the lever in various adjustedpositions. he cord 104 passes about a pulley 109, which is supported inany suitable manner, and is connected to a piston rod 110. The pistonrod 110 is connected to a piston 111 which is slidably mounted in acylinder 112. The cylinder 112 is identical in construction to thecylinder 75, so that upon the inlet of air into the cylinder through thepi e 113, the piston 111 will be forced rearwar ly within the cylinderfor operating the cord 104 for operating the belt mechanlsm forreleasing the lever for pivotal movement.

The lever 101 has rearwardl extending ears 114 secured thereto, to w ichears is loosely connected a iston rod 115. The piston rod 115 exten sinto a cylinder 116, which is" connected to a second c linder 117.

The cylinders 116 and 117 are identical in construction to the cylinders88 and 94, and the operation of the piston rod 115 is identical with theoperation of the piston rod 87. The cylinder 117 has communication withthe air supply through a pipe 118 and a T-joint 119, w ich is in turnconnected to the valve 55 and through the pipe 120. Suitable bleedvalves 113' and 118' are provided for bleeding the air from thecylinders 110 and 117 respectively, when it is desired to return thelever 105 to its normal position. The ordinary clutch pedal 121 is alsooperated by the air from the air chamber 56, when the automobile strikesa person. The foot pedal 121, used for operating the clutch, has a rod122 connected thereto in any suitable manner, such as by pivotalconnection to an ear 123 which extends outwardly from the lever. The rod122 extends into a cylinder 124, which cylinder has its forward endrounded and is pro vided with a bore 125 extending therethrough, throughwhich the rod 122 passes. The bore 125 has a pluralit of anti-frictionball bearings 126 positions about the same, which an port the rod 122for preventing friction d uring their sliding movement of the rod. Therod 122 has a. piston 127 mounted upon its inner end. A spiral spring129 is positioned within the c linder 124 an is connected to the piston12 and the inner surface of the rear end of the cylinder 124, forautomatically moving the piston 127 toward the rear end of the cylinder,after it the connection has been forced outwardly by a charge ofcompressed air which enters the cylinder 124 through the pipe connection130.

The brake lever 131, which is also a foot lever having a tread 132mounted thereon which is identical to the tread 133 of the clutch lever121, also has a rod 134 connected thereto. The rod 134 extends into acylinder 135, and has a piston 136 mounted upon its inner end. Thepiston 136 has a spiral spring 138 connectedthercto, which is alsoconnected to the rear endiof the cylinder 135 for drawing the piston 136toward the rear end of the cylinder after the air supply to the cylinderthrough the pipe .139 has been cut oh and the air bled from the.cylinderby the valve 141. Anti-friction ball bearings 140 are positioned withinthe for. ward end of the cylinder 135 and engage the rod 134 as itextends through the forward end of the cylinder, as is clearly shown inFig. 4 of the drawings.

The ipes 130 and 139 are connected to each 0t er and to a lead pipe 141by means of a pipe T-joint 142. The pipe 141 is connected to thecompressed air retaining cylinder 56 through the valve 55.

In the operation of the improved fender and actuating mechanism thereforas heretofore described: During the normal travel of the automobile towhich the invention is attached. the curtain or fabric support 14 isnormally rolled upon the shaft 13, and the piston rods 44 and 45 are inan inward position, having the piston 47 positioned at inner terminalswithin the cylinders 46, and the lever 3 is positioned for having thegears properly ositioned for forward movement of the ve icle orautomobile, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

When the automobile strikes a person, the force of impact with theperson, which will be struck by the uard 25, owing to the fact that thisguard is positioned forwardly of all other parts of the machine, willforce the guard 25 inwardly toward the cylinder or casing 10, forcingthe rods 24 inwardly and rocking the pawls 22, releasing them fromengagement with the peripheral ratchet teeth of the ratchet 20, so as topermit of the unwinding rotation of the shaft 13 for unwinding thefabric or flexible receiving curtain 14 therefrom. The inward movementof the fender 25, which fender is constructed of electrical conductivematerial, will cause sections of the fender to contact with theelectrical contacts 32 and 33, closing a circuit therehetween andbetween the opposite poles of the motor 36.startin the motor forrotation of the motor sha t 66. The rotation of the shaft 66, willrotate the valve stem 58 through the connection between the shaft 66 andthe valve stem 58 by 61 which has the serrations formed u on its lowerend as heretofore described. he rotation of the valve stem 58 will openthe valve 55, permitting the passage of air from the compressed airretaining cylinder 56 into and through the various parts 53, 54, 69 and71.

The air passing through the pipes 54 and 53 will enter the cylinders 46and force the pistons 47 outwardly therein, to the limit of theirmovement, which is caused by the partitions 51 mounted in the cylinder.The forward movement of the pistons 47 will consequently carry thepiston rods 44 and 45 forwardly and owing to the fact that the flexiblereceiving curtain 14 is secured to the forward ends of the piston rods44, it will unwind this curtain from the shaft 13 and force it outwardlyfor receiving the person or object struck, thereupon. The piston rods 44and 45 are positioned so that the forward movement of the curtain 14will engage the person struck at such a part of their body as to upsetthem and deposit them upon the flexible curtain as it passes outwardly,for preventing injury thereto. When the rods 44 and 45 are movedoutwardly, the awls 46 will operate .for moving the paw 46* into thecut-out portions 44, for holding the rods extended against the action ofthe springs 52. The passage of the air from the cylinder 56 through thepipe 69 will force the piston 76 rearwardly within the cylinder 75,moving the piston rod 77 rearwardly. and operating the flexible cord 78,causing the same to pass over the pulleys 79 and 80 and draw the handlever 82 inwardly for moving the clutch of the dog mechanism 83 out ofthe notch 85 in which it is seated. The passage of the air through thepipe 71 will enter the cylinder 94, and force the piston 95 forwardlytherein. The forward motion of the piston 95 and the rod 97 will belost, until the end of the piston rod 97 engages the piston 89 which iscarried by the cylinder 88. The lost motion of the piston 95 and thepiston rod 97 will permit of the operation of the dog mechanism 83 bvthe movement of the piston 76 and the rod 77, prior to the operation ofthe lever 3 by the forward movement of the piston 89 and the piston rod87. When the piston rod 97 engages the piston 89, it will force the sameforwardly within the cylinder 88, upon further force being administeredto the piston 95, which will force the lever 3 forwardly, until the dogmechanism seats itself in the notch 85 formed in the quadrant 84 whichpositions the lever at a neutral position, at which point the dogmechanism will automatically act, as is ordinary in the constructions ofthis nature. for retarding further movement of the lever 3. and willconsequently stop the travel of the automobile.

' \Vhen the impact of the person with the guard 25. is released. thisguard will automatically spring outwardly to its normal spaced positionwith respect to the cylinder 10, by the actuation of the spiral springs26, which will break the contact or circuit. between the contacts 32 and325 and con oquently stop the motor 36, After the automobile hasstopped. the driver thereof may alight and move the valve stem In byengagin the rectangular portion 100 upon the va ve stem by manual pow r.or by the use of a wrench or other similar tool. which will place thedevice in a position for reoperation. after the person has been removedfrom the curtain 1t and the latter wound upon the shaft 13, by rotatingthe haft through the medium of a crank handle on; wrench, which may beapplied to tho rectangular proje ting end 19 of the shaft.

The opening of the 'alve at will permit air to pass into the cylinders10" and it)" hich will move the casing 10 outwardly. and release thetension ot' the flexible curtain l-l. forming a pocket for receiving andretaining the person which is deposited thereon. in a manner horotot'orodescribed.

The opening of the valve .36. will also operate. tho speed lever 3, andthe foot. pedals 132 and 1'21. by the inlet of air into the variouscylinders for controlling the operation of these various levers. whichwill cause the. levers to perform their ordinary functions identicalwith those performed when they are manually operated.

' The operation of tho lover 101. will operate the emergency brake. andimmediately stop tho automobile. This lever is operated. in the manneridentical with tho operation of the lover It. as heretofore described.

From tho foregoing description taken in connection with the accomntnying drawings the advantages of construction and of the method oi"operation of tho improved fender attachment for automobiles will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains and. while in the. foregoing description. the principle ofthe operation of this invention has been described together with variousfeatures of construction. it is to be understood that certain minorfeatures of coust-riurtit-in. combination and arral-igement of nuts maybe alteredjto suit practical conditions provided such alterations arecomprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

\Vhat lS-CltlllIlQtl 1s: a 1. The combination with an ordinary au-'tomo'hile having a chas is and a lever for controlling the movement ofthe automobile. of a cylindrical casing carried by the forward end ofsaid chassis, an object receiving curtain innuimllytmlled within saidcylindrical casing. a compressed air cylinder carried by said chassis,means carried by said chassis foinantomatically releasing the air fromsaid compressed air cylinder upon the, striking of an object by theautomobile. for unwinding said article receiving curtain and forcing itforwardly of the front end oi said chassis. a dog mechanism carried bysaid lo vor for holding it against accidental movement. a lloxihlomember connected to said dog mechanism. a piston rod connected to saidlloxiblo member. a compressed air controlled piston oporativclyconnected to said piston rod. means connected to said first namod meansfor operating said piston for releasing said dog mechanism upon theactuation oi said article receiving curtain. and compressed aircontrolled means connected to said lever for automatically operating tholovor immediately after release of said dog mechanism for arrestingtravel of the automobile. i

2. The combination with an automobile construction embodying a chassis.and a lover for controlling the movement of said antomobile, of acplindrical easing carried by the forward end of said chassis. a shaftrotatablyjournalod within said (':t l|\,', an article receiving curtainnormally rolled upon said shaft. a ratchet carried by said shaft. a pawlpivotally connected to said casing and engaging said ratchet to preventnnrolliug rotation of said shaft. a plurality of rods slidably carriedby said chassis and connected to .said curtain, a guard yioldahlysupported forwardly of said casing. means connected to said guard andsaid pawl for moving the pawl out of engagement with said ratchet whensaid guard strikes an article for permitting of unwinding rotation oisaid shaft. and means carried by said chassis for autonmtically movingsaid first namod rods fol wardly for unrolling said article receivingcurtain from said shaft and positioning it forwardly of said automobilechassis.

3. lhe combination with an automobile construction embodying a chassisand a lover for controlling the movement of the automobile. of acylindrical casing carried by the forward end of said chassis. a shaftrotatably journaled in said casing. an article receiving curtainnormally rolled upon said shaft. a ratchet carried by said shaft. a pawlpivotally connected to said casing and engaging said ratchet l'orucvouting unwinding rotation of said llttfl'. a guard yioldablysupported forwardly of said ca-ing. means connected to said guard andsaid pawl for moving said pawl out of engagcment' with said rod uponroarwart-l movement of said guard for permitting of an unwimlingrotation of said shaft. a plurality of rods slidably carried by saidcasing and connected to said curtain. and means carried by said chassisfor autmnatically moving said rods forwardly for unrolling said articlereceiving curtain from said shaft and positioning lot! it forwardly ofsaid automobile chassis, a dog mechanism carried by said lever forholding it against accidental movement, a flexible member connected tosaid dog mechanism, a piston rod connected. to said flexible member, acompressed air controlled piston operatively connected to said pistonrod, means connected to said first named means for operating said pistonfor releasing said dog mechanism upon actuation of said articlereceiving curtain, and compressed air controlled means conn'ected tosaid lever for antomatically operating said lever immediately afterrelease of said dog'mechanism for arrestin travel of the autom 4. l hecombination with atiautomobile construction embodying a chassis and alever for controlling the movement of said automobile, of a cylindricalcasing carried by the forward end of said chassis, a shaft rotatablyjournaled within said casing, an article receiving curtain normallyrolled upon said shaft, a ratchet carried by said shaft, a pawlpivotally mounted within said casing and engaging said ratchet forpreventing unwinding rotation of said shaft, a guard yieldahly supportedforwardly of said casing, means connectin said guard and pawl for movingsaid pawl out of engagement with said ratchet upon rearward movement ofsaid guard for permitting of an unwindin rotation of said shaft, aplurality of ro s slidably carried 'by said chassis and connected tosaid curtain, means carried by saidvchassis for automatically movingsaid rods forwardly for unrolling said article receiving curtain fromsaid shaft and positioning it forwardly of said automobile chassis, andmeans carried by said chassis for operating said lever synchronousl withthe forward movement of said rods or arrestin the travel of theautomobile.

5. he combination with an automobile of ordinary construction embodyinga chassis and a lever for controlling the movement of said automobile,of a cylindrica casing carried by the forward end of said chassis, ashaft rotatably journaled within said casing, an article receivingcurtain connected to said shaft and normally wound thereupon, a ratchetmounted upon said shaft, a pawl pivotally carried by said casing andengaging said ratchet for preventing unwinding rotation of said shaft,said casing being provided with an opening to permit of the passage ofsaid article receiving curtain therefrom, a pair of rollers supportedout wardly of said opening and spaced for iding the travel of saidcurtain, a guard eldably supported forwardly of said cylin rical casing.a rod connected to said guard nd pivotally connected to said pawl formoving said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet upon rearwardmovement of said guard under pressure. means for automaticeivingcurtain, a compressed air retaining cylinder carried by said chassis ndhaving operative connection with said slidable rods for forcing saidrods forwardly for unwinding said article receiving curtain from saidshaft upon release of air from said cylinder, means for normallyrestraining t e release of air from said cylinder, and means operable bythe inward movement of said guard for automatically operating said airrestraining means for permitting of the escape of air for moving saidrods forwardly and unrolling said article receiving curtain from saidshaft.

6. The combination with an automobile of ordinary construction embodyinga chassis and a lever for controlling the movement of said automobile,of a cylindrical casing carried by the forward end of said chassis, ashaft rotatably iournaled within said casing, an article receivingcurtain connected to said shaft and normally wound "thereupon, a ratchetmounted upon said shaft, a pawl pivotally carried by said casing andengagmg said ratchet for preventing unwinding rotation of said shaft,said casing being provided with an opening to ermit of the passage ofsaid article receivmg curtain therefrom, a pair of rollers supportedoutwardly of said opening and spaced for guidin the travel of saidcurtain, a guardyiel ably supported forwardly of said cylindricalcasing, a rod connected to said guard and pivotally connecte .to saidpawl for moving said pawl out of engagement with said ratchet uponrearward movement of said guard under pressure, means for automaticallyreturning said guard and Said awl to their normal positions upon the reease of pressure from said guard, a plurality of rods slidably carriedby said chassis and connected to said article receiving curtain,

a compressed air retaining cylinder carried by said chassis-and havingoperative connection with said s'lidable rods for forcing said rodsforwardly for unwindin said article receiving curtain from said sEaftupon redease of air from said cylinder, means for normally restrainingthe release of air from said cylinder, and means operable by the inwardmovement of said guard for automatically operating said air restraininmeans for permitting of the escape of air or moving said rods forwardlyand unrolling said article receiving curtain from said shaft a dogmechanism carried by said lever for holding it against accidentalmovement, a flexible member connected to said dog mechanism, compressedair controlled means operatively connected to said flexible member foroperating said flexible member for releasing said dog mechanism upon theoutward movement of said article receiving curtain, and compressed aircontrolled means connected to said lever for automatically operating thelever immediately after release of said dog mechanism for arresting thetravel of said automobile.

7. The combination with an automobile of ordinary construction embodyinga chassis and a lever for controllin the movement of said automobile,'of a cyfindricalcasing carried by the forward end of said chassis, ashaft rotatably journaled within said casing, an article receivingcurtain connected to said shaft and normall wound thereupon a pluralityof rods slida 1y carried by said chassis and connected to said articlereceiving curtain, a guard normally spaced forwardly of said cylindricalcasing, a com.- pressed air retaining receptacle carried by said chassisand havln operative communication with said slida le rods for forcingsaid rods forwardly for unwindin said article receiving curtain fromsaid s iaft upon the release of air from said receptacle, means fornormally restrainin the release of air from said receptacle, an meansoperable by the inward pressing movement of said guard for automaticallyoperating said air restraining means for permittin of the escape of airfor moving said ro s forwardly and unrolling said article receiving-curtain from said shaft, means for normally preventing unrollinrotation of said shaft, means operable y the inward movement of saidguard for releasing said shaft unrolling rotation restraining means, andmeans carried by said casing for automatically o crating said lever uponthe release of air rom said air receptacle for moving said lever forstopping movement of said automobiler 8. The combination with anautomobile of ordinary construction embodying a chassis and a lever forcontrollin the movement of said automobile, of a. c Endrical casingcarried by the forward en of said chassis, a shaft rotatably 'journaledwithin said casing, an article receiving curtain connected to said shaftand normally wound thereon a plurality of rods slidably carried by saidchassis and connected to said article receiving curtain, a guardnormally spaced forwardly of said cylindrical casing, a com pressed airretaining receptacle carried by said chassisland havin operativecommunication with said slide le rods for forcing said rods forwardlyfor unwindin said article receiving curtain from said s aft upon therelease of air from said receptacle, means for normally restraining therelease of air from said receptacle, means operable by inward movementof said guard for automatically operating said air restraining meansmovement of 1,2se,4a1

for permitting of ,the escape of air for moving said rods forwardly andunrolling said article receiving. curtain from said shaft, means fornormally reventing the unrolling rotation of said sha t, means operableby the inward movement of said guard under pressure for releasing saidshaft unrolling rotation restraining means, and means carried by saidcasing for automatically operating said lever upon the release of airfrom said air cylinder formoving said lever for arresting movement ofsaid automobile, an automatically acting locking means for enaging saidrods when moved outwardly for 0 ing the rods and curtain in an extendedposition.

9. The combination with an automobile of ordinary construction embodyinga chassis and a lever for controlling the movement of said automobile,of a cylindrical casing carried by the forward end of said chassis, ashaft rotatably journaled within said casing, an article receivingcurtain connected to said shaft and normally wound thereon, a pluralityof rods slidably carried by said chassis and connected to said articlereceiving curtain, a guard normally spaced forwardly of said 0 lindricalcasing, a compressed air retaining receptacle carried by said chassisand having operative communication with said slidable rods for forcinsaid rods forwardly for unwinding said article receiving curtain fromsaid shaft upon the release of air from said receptacle, means fornormally restraining the release of air from said receptacle, meansoperable by inward movement of said guard for automatically operatingsaid air restraining means for permitting of the escape of air formoving said rods forwardly and unrolling said article receiving curtainfrom said shaft, means for normally preventing the unrollin rotation ofsaid shaft means operable by he inward said ard under pressure forreleasing said sha t unrolling rotation restrainin means, and meanscarried by said casing or automatically operating said lever upon therelease of air from said air cylinder for moving said lever forarresting movement of said automobile, an automatically acting lockingmeans for engaging said rods when moved outwardly for holding the rodsand curtain in an extended position, and-means for automaticallyreturning said ard to its normal position and moving sai restrainingmeans into an operative position upon the release of pressure from saidguard.

10. The combination with an automobile of ordinary constructionembodying a chassis and a lever for controllin the movement of saidautomobile, of a cylindrical casing carried b the forward end of saidchassis, a she t rotatably journaled within said casing, an articlereceiving curtain connected to said shaft and normally wound thereon, aplurality of rods slidably carried by said chassis and connected to saidarticle receiving curtain, a guard normally spaced forwardly of saidcylindrical casing, a compressed air retaining receptacle carried bysaid chassis and having 0 erative communication with said slidable rodsfor forcing said reds forwardly for unwinding said article receivincurtain from said shaft upon the release 0 air from said receptacle,means for normal'l restraining the release of air from said eceptacle,means operable by inward movement, of said ard for automaticallyoperating said air restraining means for; permitting of the escape ofair for moving said rods forwardly and unrolling said article receivingcurtain from said shaft, means for normally preventing the unrollingrotation of said shaft, means operable by the inward movement of saidguard under pressure for releasing said shaft unrolling rotationrestraining means, and means carried by said casing for automaticallyoperating said lever upon the release of air from said air cy inder formovin said lever for arresting movement of said automobile, andautomatically acting locking means for en aging said rods when movedoutwardly for holding the rods and curtain in an extended position, andmeans for automatically returning said rod and curtain to their normalposition upon refiopla at this patent may be obtained tor ave centseach. by addressing the lease of said automatic acting locking means.

11. The combination with an automo bile of ordinary constructionembodying a chamis, a gear shifting lever and anemergenc brake lever, ofa cylindrical casin yiel ably carried by the forward end of saidchassis, a shaft rotatably journaled within said casing, an articlereceiving curtain normally wound upon said shaft, one end of saidcurtain hanging free from said shaft, a plurality of rods connected tosaid free end, means for forcing said rods forwardly for unrolling saidarticle receiving curtain from said shaft and positioning it forwardlyof said chassis when the automobile strikes an object, pivoted pawls forengagement with said rods upon their forward movement for preventingaccidental rearward movement of said rods, and means for automaticallyreturning said rods to an inoperative position, and means operativelyconnected to said gear shifting .lever and said emergency brake leverfor moving said gear shifting lever into a neutral position andoperating said emergency brake lever for stopping the travel of theautomobile upon operation of said curtain. In testimony whereof I haveaflixed hereto my signature in presence of two witnesses. CHARLES SADLO.Witnesses:

WILLIAM E. INIS, Emn G. Savanna/on.

commissioner of intents,

Wuhlnltol, D. 0.

